Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade scheduled for Sony Ericsson 2011 handsets

Sony Ericsson recently told Engadget that it was working on the Gingerbread update for its Android smartphones released under the Xperia banner. It promised that the smartphones will move to the next generation OS when it becomes available to the company. Yesterday, Sony Ericsson Netherlands also declared on its Facebook page that it is planning to upgrade its Xperia portfolio to the ‘next Android platform’. 

Though future plans were referred to, no time line was mentioned in the company’s statement to Engadget. It said, “Sony Ericsson is currently rolling out the upgrade to Gingerbread 2.3.4 across its entire 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio. This software upgrade will be available through a phased roll out in select markets. Beyond Gingerbread 2.3.4, we plan to upgrade our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio to the next Android platform made available to us.”

The status update put up by Sony Ericsson Netherlands on its facebook page was talked about by the Dutch blog All Bout Phones and interpreted by Android Community. It gave a slightly more definite time line to the company’s plans. SE Netherlands says,”We are planning our 2011 Xperia smartphone portfolio after Gingerbread 2.3.4 upgrade to the next Android platform. The official Sony Ericsson communication about software upgrades will always be my international colleagues publish on our blog http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/” This post has led many to believe that the upgrade will be available early next year. 

The Xperia line of smartphones that will most likely get ICS include Xperia Play, Xperia Ray, Arc Ray, Neo and Neo V. The sooner Sony Ericsson moves it’s phones to the new and sophisticated Android OS, the better the chances are of the company staying competitive, specially with the iPhone 4S, the Galaxy Nexus and the Motorola Razr dominating the market right now.